Psychosis is not a state of ecstasy, but a psychological illness. Those affected have hallucinations and thought disorders, lose contact with reality and stop being themselves.
Several studies show that cannabis can harm a teenager’s developing brain. However, a recent study from Canada, published in the specialized journal Psychological MedicineMaintains that The relationship between marijuana use and psychotic disorders is much greater than previously believed.
Unfocused, insensitive and overstimulated
Adolescents can not only suffer from visual and acoustic hallucinations, says Rainer Thomasius, director of the German Center for Addictions in Children and Adolescents (DZSKJ). Cannabis also limits the ability to concentrate and learn and dulls sensitivity. Additionally, consumers often feel overstimulated by their environment.
While abstinence from the drug can cure a psychotic disorder in a few weeks, there is an increased lifelong risk of slipping into psychosis, should use occur again. Psychotherapist Thomasius indicates that, in the worst case, psychosis can develop into schizophrenia. If this happens, those affected feel threatened even by their closest relatives, and in extreme situations fatal attacks can occur.
Young brains, especially vulnerable
In adolescence, the brain is a kind of large construction site and substances such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) affect, for example, the synapses of nerve fibers and the development of the white matter of the brain.
Marijuana use in adolescence can destroy up to a third of the well-functioning connections in the frontal lobe. This part of the brain is responsible for functions such as thinking, reasoning and regulating emotions.
Thomasius explains, in an interview with DW, that IQ can decrease by up to ten points. “If an already low IQ drops from 90 to 80 points, this means a learning disorder,” he says.
The German psychotherapist adds that it can also increase the risk of suffering from depression and anxiety disorders.
Likewise, limited driving ability represents a serious risk to other people. “Since the legalization of cannabis in the United States, the number of serious traffic accidents under the influence of cannabis has doubled to tenfold,” says the director of the German Center for Addictions in Children and Adolescents.
However, the doctor highlights that adolescents are not aware of these risks. “So far, they haven’t communicated properly,” he says.
Marijuana is now legal in Germany
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Legalization sends a fatal signal
In many countries there is debate about the legalization of marijuana. In Germany, its consumption has been legal for adults since April 2024. Experts fear that it will now be easier than ever for teenagers to get cannabis.
According to Thomasius, legalization minimizes the danger and sends the wrong signals. “We can predict that the incidence of psychosis will increase,” he adds.
Higher percentage of THC
The amount of cannabis consumption has not changed much in recent decades, but the level of THC has increased considerably.
In Canada, for example, the average annual THC level of illegal cannabis increased from about one percent in 1980 to 20 percent in 2018.
Thomasius assures that, currently, there are even cannabis extracts that can reach a THC percentage greater than 95 percent. These types of products are not yet on sale in Germany, where the percentage is about 15 percent of illegal marijuana.
Minority in danger
Most young people who use cannabis do not develop a psychotic disorder, that is a fact. However, with consumption, the risk of developing a disorder is eleven times greater.
(vt/ms)
